Self-service terminal management

ABSTRACT

A self-service terminal comprises at least one customer transaction module, a terminal controller, a management component, and a network connection coupled to the terminal controller. The customer transaction module is operable to (i) implement a function associated with a customer transaction, and (ii) provide status information relating to the module. The terminal controller is coupled to the customer transaction module and includes (i) a management component for retrieving status information from the customer transaction module and (ii) a Web services interface for providing access to the retrieved status information to a remote device. The network connection is coupled to the controller and provides the remote device with access to the Web services interface.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to self-service terminal management.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

A common type of self-service terminal is an automated teller machine(ATM). An ATM is a networked computing device that includes a pluralityof interconnected modules for performing functions relating to customertransactions and machine maintenance. Many of these modules include aprocessor programmed to perform functions associated with that module,and to track state of health information about that module.

A central processing core typically executes a platform and anapplication. The platform (which includes an operating system) managesthe modules in the ATM, and translates industry-standard commands (forexample, in CEN/XFS format) from the application to specific commandsfor each module. The application conveys appropriate industry-standardcommands to the platform to provide customer transactions, and also toprovide management facilities for service personnel (such as printerpaper replenishers, banknote replenishers or technicians).

A remote management system typically manages a network of ATMs, each ATMproviding status information to the management system asynchronously (inthe event of a failure being detected) or in response to a request forinformation from the remote management system.

The remote management system typically dispatches service personnel inthe event of a failure being detected at an ATM, and provides theservice personnel with an indication of the type of failure that wasdetected. However, this information may be out-of-date by the time it isreceived by the service personnel, and it may also not contain the fullinformation provided by the ATM because the data received by the remotemanagement system is typically transformed into a new format forconveying to the service personnel.

It would be advantageous if the service personnel could obtainup-to-date information about errors in an ATM, and also at least as muchinformation as the ATM provided to the remote management system. Thiswould avoid service personnel making an unnecessary site visit to an ATMthat rectified itself subsequent to sending a fault message to theremote management system. By being able to check the more detailed ATMstatus information, a service person would be able to obtain anyrequired part to fix a problem with an ATM prior to a site visit.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Accordingly, the invention generally provides methods, systems,apparatus, and software for managing networked devices.

In addition to the Summary of Invention provided above and the subjectmatter disclosed below in the Detailed Description, the followingparagraphs of this section are intended to provide further basis foralternative claim language for possible use during prosecution of thisapplication, if required. If this application is granted, some aspectsof the invention may relate to claims added during prosecution of thisapplication, other aspects may relate to claims deleted duringprosecution, other aspects may relate to subject matter never claimed.Furthermore, the various aspects detailed hereinafter are independent ofeach other, except where stated otherwise. Any claim corresponding toone aspect should not be construed as incorporating any element orfeature of the other aspects unless explicitly stated in that claim.

According to a first aspect there is provided a self-service terminalcomprising: a customer transaction module operable to (i) implement afunction associated with a customer transaction, and (ii) provide statusinformation relating to the module; a terminal controller coupled to thecustomer transaction module and including (i) a management component forretrieving status information from the customer transaction module and(ii) a Web services interface for providing access to the retrievedstatus information to a remote device; and a network connection coupledto the controller to provide a remote device with access to the Webservices interface.

As used herein, a “Web service” means a software system designed tosupport interoperable machine-to-machine interaction over a network. AWeb service has an interface described in a machine-processable format,specifically a Web Services Description Language (WSDL). Other systemsinteract with the Web service in a manner prescribed, for example, usingSOAP (Simple Object Access to Protocol) messages, typically conveyedusing HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) with an XML (eXtensibleMark-up Language) serialization in conjunction with other Web-relatedstandards. The source of this definition ishttp://www.w3.org/TR/ws-gloss/.

The remote device may be a portable computer (such as a personal digitalassistant (PDA) or a cellular radiofrequency telephone (cellphone))carried by service personnel. Provided the remote device has Web access(and the device and/or user has any necessary security clearance orauthorization), it can be used to obtain status information directlyfrom the Web services interface without having to go through the remotemanagement system.

The self-service terminal may comprise a plurality of customertransaction modules. Customer transaction modules may include: a cardreader (motorized, dip, or swipe), a media dispenser (cash, voucher,ticket, or the like), a media depository (checks, banknotes, coins,slips, tickets, vouchers, or the like), a printer (receipt, statement,or the like), a PIN entry device (encrypting keypad, encryptingtouch-sensitive panel, or the like), or the like.

The self-service terminal may comprise a plurality of service personnelmodules, such as a journal printer, a service operator panel, or thelike.

The terminal controller may execute a platform, including an operatingsystem, for controlling the customer transaction modules and any servicepersonnel modules.

The self-service terminal may be an automated teller machine (ATM), aninformation kiosk, a financial services center, a bill payment kiosk, alottery kiosk, a postal services machine, a check-in and/or check-outterminal such as those used in the retail, hotel, car rental, gaming,healthcare, and airline industries.

According to a second aspect there is provided a self-service terminalcomprising: a media dispense module operable to implement a mediadispense function, and including (i) a processor executing (a) amanagement component operable to obtain status information relating tothe media dispense module, and (b) a Web services interface forproviding access to the obtained status information to a remote device,and (ii) a network connection for communicating directly with a remotetransaction controller; and a media deposit module operable to implementa media deposit function, and including (i) a processor executing (a) amanagement component operable to obtain status information relating tothe media deposit module, and (b) a Web services interface for providingaccess to the obtained status information to a remote device, and (ii) anetwork connection for communicating directly with a remote transactioncontroller.

The network connections may comprise dedicated network cards for eachmodule. Alternatively, the network connections may be provided bydedicated communication stacks, each communication stack beingassociated with a serial port, such as a USB port, to provide thetransport layer; and a single network card used by the serial ports.

Using dedicated network cards, or the like, allows a self-serviceterminal to operate as an ultra thin client, with each modulecommunicating with the remote transaction controller directly, insteadof with a controller within the self-service terminal.

Using a serial bus, such as USB, allows a single network card to beused, but this means that the modules all rely on the single networkcard for external communication, so any hardware fault with this singlenetwork card will leave the modules without any communication link.

Additional modules may be provided in the self-service terminal

According to a third aspect there is provided a distributed self-serviceterminal comprising customer transaction modules at a first location anda transaction controller at a second location, remote from the firstlocation, the customer transaction modules including: a media dispensemodule operable to implement a media dispense function, and including(i) a processor executing (a) a management component operable to obtainstatus information relating to the media dispense module, and (b) a Webservices interface for providing access to the obtained statusinformation to a remote device, and (ii) a network connection forcommunicating directly with the remote transaction controller; and amedia deposit module operable to implement a media deposit function, andincluding (i) a processor executing (a) a management component operableto obtain status information relating to the media deposit module, and(b) a Web services interface for providing access to the obtained statusinformation to a remote device, and (ii) a network connection forcommunicating directly with the remote transaction controller.

Additional modules may be provided in the self-service terminal.

The remote transaction controller may control a plurality of mediadispense modules, each media dispense module being located in adifferent geographical location. For example, each media dispense modulemay be more than one kilometer from the other media dispense modules.

The remote transaction controller may control a plurality of mediadeposit modules, each media deposit module being located in a differentgeographical location. For example, each media deposit module may bemore than one kilometer from the other media deposit modules.

Some distributed self-service terminals may only include media dispensemodules. Other distributed self-service terminals may only include mediadeposit modules.

This aspect of the invention enables a single controller to control aplurality of different customer fulfillment stations, each customerfulfillment station being geographically remote from the other customerfulfillment stations.

According to a fourth aspect there is provided a method of providingaccess to management information relating to a self-service terminal,the method comprising: receiving a request for management informationfrom a remote device via a Web Service executing on a controller withinthe self-service terminal; translating the request to a formatcompatible with a management component executing on the self-serviceterminal; retrieving the requested management information from a modulewithin the self-service terminal via the management component; andproviding the requested management information to the remote device.

The method may include the further step of requiring a request forinformation via the Web Service to fulfill a security criterion.

The security criterion may include the request for information: (i)originating from a known source (for example, a registered IP address),and/or (ii) including a correct username and passcode combination,and/or (iii) originating from a person registered to receive the type ofinformation requested.

According to a fifth aspect there is provided a method of providingaccess to management information stored in a self-service terminal, themethod comprising: receiving from a remote device a request formanagement information in a format compatible with a Web servicesinterface; ascertaining if the received request fulfils a securitycriterion; transforming the received request into a different format inthe event that the request does fulfill the security criterion;communicating the transformed request to a device manager; receiving aresponse from the device manager; transforming the response into aformat compatible with a Web services interface; and relaying thetransformed response to the remote device.

The different format may be a CEN XFS format, an OPOS format, a CUSSformat, a proprietary format, or any other convenient format.

These aspects of the invention have the advantage of allowing servicepersonnel to query a self-service terminal directly, for example via aWeb browser on a portable device, to obtain status information that isup-to-date and without loss of information as a result of having tochange the format of the status information. By using Web services, itis possible to view the same information on remote devices (computers,cellular telephones, and the like) having different operating systemswithout having to write a dedicated client application for each device.

These and other aspects will be apparent from the following specificdescription, given by way of example, with reference to the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a self-service terminal including a Webservices interface according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is block diagram of a part (the terminal controller) of theself-service terminal of FIG. 1, where the terminal controllerimplements the Web services interface;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a self-service terminal networkincluding two self-service terminals of the type illustrated in FIG. 1,and a portable device carried by a service person;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating steps involved in accessingmanagement information via the Web services interface of FIGS. 1 and 2using the portable device of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a distributed self-service terminalincluding Web services interfaces according to another embodiment of thepresent invention; and

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a module (the cash dispensemodule) of the distributed self-service terminal of FIG. 5 in moredetail.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference is first made to FIG. 1, which is a simplified block diagramof a self-service terminal 10 (in the form of an ATM) according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

The ATM 10 comprises a plurality of modules for enabling transactions tobe executed and recorded by the ATM 10. These ATM modules includecustomer transaction modules and service personnel modules. The ATMmodules comprise: an ATM controller 12, a customer display 14, a cardreader/writer module 16, an encrypting keypad module 18, a receiptprinter module 20, a cash dispenser module 22, a journal printer module24 for creating a record of every transaction executed by the ATM 10, anetwork connection module 26 for accessing a remote authorization system(not shown) via an IP network 28, and an operator panel module 30 foruse by a service operator (such as a field engineer, a replenisher (ofcurrency, of printer paper, or the like), or the like).

Some of the customer transaction modules (such as the ATM controller 12)are also used by the service personnel for implementing managementfunctions. However, some of the modules are referred to herein asservice personnel modules (such as the journal printer module 24 and theoperator panel module 30) because they are never used by ATM customers.

Reference will now also be made to FIG. 2, which is a simplified blockdiagram of the ATM controller module 12 of the ATM 10. The controllermodule 12 comprises a BIOS 40 stored in non-volatile memory, amicroprocessor 42, associated main memory 44 used by the microprocessor42, storage space 46 in the form of a magnetic disk drive, and a displaycontroller 48 in the form of a graphics card. The graphics card 48controls the customer display 14 and the display portion of the operatorpanel module 30.

In use, the main memory 44 is loaded with a platform 50 (including anATM operating system kernel and drivers for the modules in the ATM 10),an ATM application 52, a Web services interface 54, and a managementagent 56 (in the form of an SNMP (simple network management protocol)agent).

The platform 50 monitors the condition of each module within the ATM 10(state of health monitoring), and stores status information relating tothe modules, such as logs and tallies of module activity.

The ATM application 52 is responsible for controlling the operation ofthe ATM 10. In particular, the ATM application 52 provides the sequenceof screens used in each customer transaction (referred to as thetransaction flow), and obtains authorization for transactions from aremote transaction authorization system (not shown). The ATM application52 also provides a sequence of screens on the operator panel module 30for service personnel who are maintaining, replenishing, or otherwiseoperating on the ATM 10.

The management agent 56 monitors the status information relating to themodules in the ATM 10, and sends a message to a remote management centre(not shown) if the status of certain components within the moduleschange. This type of message is typically referred to as a ‘trap’ or an‘event’, and is asynchronous. The SNMP agent 56 can also provide statusinformation in response to a request from the remote management centre(not shown).

The ATM application 52, the Web services interface 54, and the SNMPagent 56 communicate with the platform 50 via a CEN/XFS interface. CENis the European Committee for Standardization, and XFS is the eXtensionsfor Financial Services standard. XFS (eXtensions for Financial Services)is an industry-standard protocol for communicating financialinformation. The current version of this CEN/XFS standard is the CEN/XFSv.3.10 specification, which can be downloaded fromftp://ftp.cen.eu/PUBLIC/CWAs/other/WS-XFS/CWA15748/. This lists theformat and structure of the commands, features, and device classes thatcomply with the XFS standard.

The platform 50 includes an XFS manager that receives XFS commands fromthe ATM application 52 and routes these commands to service providers(not shown) associated with the appropriate modules for operating on thereceived XFS command. The XFS manager and the service providers(together illustrated in FIG. 2 as ellipse 58) form a managementcomponent for retrieving management information from the modules in theATM 10.

The Web services interface 54 accesses a WSDL (Web Services DescriptionLanguage) file 59 that includes information about the type of requeststhat the Web services interface 54 can supply, and the format needed tosubmit those requests. In this embodiment, the WSDL file 59 includescommands corresponding to the complete set of CEN/XFS commands, althoughnot necessarily in the same format as the CEN/XFS commands because theCEN/XFS commands assume that a C++ interface is used. By providingcorresponding, but different, commands, the Web services interface 54can receive commands that are not compliant with a C++ interface. TheWeb services interface 54 includes an interface to the platform 50 thatcomplies with the CEN/XFS interface, so it can convert a receivedcommand to the corresponding CEN/XFS command. The Web services interface54 therefore provides a new set of commands that it can convert toCEN/XFS commands and convey to the XFS Manager.

In this embodiment, the Web services interface 54 can be accessed via adedicated Web page that can be loaded into a Web browser. The dedicatedWeb page includes predefined commands conforming to the format providedby the WSDL file 59.

As the platform 50 receives status information from the various moduleswithin the ATM 10, the platform 50 may store this information.

In addition to storing status information, the platform 50 can alsoquery the status of devices dynamically through their service providerinterfaces to check their status prior to attempting to carry out acommand. The platform 50 can also receive asynchronous events“unsolicited” from the service provider when something changes and isreported through an event. In response to such an asynchronous event,the Web services interface 54 would cause the platform 50 to query theservice provider (not shown separately) to retrieve the informationrequired to obtain the current device state information.

Reference will now be made to FIG. 3, which is a block diagramillustrating an ATM network 80 including two ATMs 10 (which can beconsidered to be identical for the purpose of this description), atransaction authorization system 82 remote from the ATMs 10, amanagement system 84, which is also remote from the ATMs 10, and aportable device (in the form of a cellphone) 86 carried by a serviceperson and used to access data from the ATMs 10.

The cellphone accesses the ATM modules via the Web services interface54, as will now be described with reference to FIG. 4, which is aflowchart 100 illustrating steps implemented by the ATM 10 in providingaccess to data from the ATMs 10.

Initially, the remote management system 84 may receive a trap from theSNMP agent 56 indicating that there is a fault with, for example, thereceipt printer module 20. The remote management system 84 then forwardsa notification by SMS messaging to a service person carrying thecellphone 86 that the ATM 10 is experiencing problems with the receiptprinter module 20. This SMS message is received by the cellphone 86 anddisplayed to the service person.

The service person then uses a Web browser executing on the cellphone 86to access a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) associated with the Webservices interface 54 and hosted by the ATM controller 12. The URLretrieves content that is customized for navigation by devices havingsmall displays, such as cellphone 86.

The Web service interface 54 receives this request (step 102) andprompts the service person to enter a valid username and passcodecombination (step 104) to fulfill a security criterion. If an invalidusername and passcode combination is entered, then the Web serviceinterface 54 denies access to the service person (step 106). If a validusername and passcode combination is entered, then the Web serviceinterface 54 provides the cellphone's Web browser with a set ofselectable options (step 108).

These selectable options include performing status requests on moduleswithin the ATM 10. In this example, the service person requests thecurrent status of the receipt printer module 20. The Web serviceinterface 54 receives this request, transforms the request into CEN/XFSformat, and communicates the transformed request to the platform 50(step 110).

The platform 50 (specifically, the XFS manager in the platform 50) sendsthe request to the appropriate service provider (not shown separately)and receives a response, which it communicates to the Web serviceinterface 54. The Web service interface 54 receives this response (step112), which it transforms and sends to the Web browser (step 114) on thecellphone 86.

The service person can then review the status of the receipt printermodule 20 and decide whether it is necessary to visit the ATM 10 or not.For example, the ATM 10 may have reset the receipt printer module 20,causing the fault to be rectified, in which case, the service person maynot need to make a site visit to the ATM 10. If the service persondecides to visit, then he/she may ascertain if a part of the receiptprinter module 20 is likely to be faulty, and may bring a spare part forthe receipt printer module 20, or a replacement receipt printer module20.

Second Embodiment

Another embodiment of the present invention will now be described withreference to FIG. 5, which is a block diagram of a distributedself-service terminal system 200. The distributed self-service terminalsystem 200 is in the form of a distributed ATM system 200.

The distributed ATM system 200 comprises a network ATM controller 204coupled to a plurality of customer fulfillment terminals 206 by an IPnetwork 208, and also coupled to a transaction authorization system 210.

Each customer fulfillment terminal 206 comprises a customer display 214,a card reader/writer module 216, an encrypting keypad module 218, areceipt printer module 220, a cash dispenser module 222, and a journalprinter module 224 for creating a record of every transaction executedby the customer fulfillment terminal 206.

Each of these modules 214 to 224 includes a dedicated networkconnection, which enables each module to communicate directly with thenetwork ATM controller 204, and a dedicated Web services interface.However, these components are only illustrated for one representativemodule, the cash dispense module 222, as shown in FIG. 6.

Reference will now be made to FIG. 6, which is a block diagramillustrating the cash dispense module 222 in more detail.

The cash dispense module 222 comprises a pick unit 230 for pickingbanknotes from an inserted currency cassette 232 loaded with banknotes,a presenter unit 234 for presenting picked banknotes to a customer, adispenser controller 236 for controlling the operation of the cashdispense module 222, and a network connection 238 having a unique IPaddress. The dispenser controller 236 includes a Web services interface240, which communicates with the network ATM controller 204.

In use, when a customer inserts a card into the card reader/writermodule 216 then the card reader/writer module 216 reads details from theinserted card and communicates these read details (in encrypted form) tothe network ATM controller 204 via the network connection (not shown)within the card reader/writer module 216.

On receiving these details, the network ATM controller 204 instructs theencrypting keypad module 218 (via the Web services interface (notshown)) to receive a PIN from the customer, to encrypt the received PIN,and to communicate the encrypted PIN back to the network ATM controller204 via the encrypting keypad's network connection (not shown).

The network ATM controller 204 also instructs the encrypting keypadmodule 218 (via the Web services interface (not shown)) to receive atransaction request from the customer (in this example, a cash dispenserequest), and to communicate this received transaction request back tothe network ATM controller 204 via the encrypting keypad's networkconnection (not shown).

The network ATM controller 204 then obtains authorization for thistransaction from the transaction authorization system 210. If approved,the network ATM controller 204 instructs the dispenser controller 236 inthe cash dispense module 222 (via the network connection 238 and the Webservices interface 240) to dispense the requested amount of cash. Oncethis has been completed, and the customer has removed the presentedbanknotes, then the dispenser controller 236 notifies the network ATMcontroller 204 that the customer has taken the cash.

On receiving this notification, the network ATM controller 204 instructsthe card reader/writer module 216 (via its network connection and Webservices interface (neither of which is shown)) to eject the customer'scard for retrieval by the customer, thereby concluding the transaction.

Since each module includes its own network connection and Web servicesinterface, a service person (and/or a management centre) may accessmanagement information stored on each module by sending a request to theWeb service interface for that module. This may be implementedsimultaneously with a customer transaction. This allows a service personto check the status of a module, or information relating to moduleusage, without having to visit the ATM. For example, a service personmay query a module (where the module has a Web services interface), orthe ATM (where the ATM has a Web services interface), to obtain thenumber of print operations performed by a printer since the print headwas last changed, the number of pick operations performed by a pick unitwithin a dispense module since the pick unit was last serviced, theamount of receipt paper remaining in a printer, or the like.

It should now be appreciated that these embodiments have the advantagethat an interface compatible with Web technologies can be used toprovide access to to information usually retrieved using an interfacerequiring a specific programming language to be used, such as C or C++.This enables a new interface to be provided that is dislocated from theoriginal SST or module interface.

By allowing a service person to retrieve information directly from theSST in real time, up-to-date information is available that is notdiluted or truncated by subsequent data transformation.

By providing modules with common Web service interfaces, it is easierand less expensive to integrate these modules into SSTs.

By using Web services, client applications can be provided for executionby Web browsers, so that the same client can be used on differentplatforms, different operating systems, and the like.

By using Web services as a layer above the XFS Manager, conventionalapplications can still communicate directly with the XFS Manager tocontrol the ATM, without requiring any changes to these conventionalapplications.

Various modifications may be made to the above described embodimentswithin the scope of the invention, for example, in other embodiments,instead of using a Web browser as the presentation client on a portabledevice, a customized client could be provided. The customized clientcould include additional security requirements, and may have a richergraphical interface.

In other embodiments, a management agent other than an SNMP agent may beused. For example, Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) may be used,a proprietary management agent may be used, or the like.

In the above embodiments, the Web services interface supports CEN/XFScommands; whereas, in other embodiments, the Web services interface maysupport OPOS (a retail industry standard), CUSS (a travel industrystandard), a proprietary application programming interface (API) such asthe NCR (trade mark) Device Status Manager, or any other convenientprotocol or standard.

In the above embodiments, the Web services interface supports financialindustry terminals; whereas, in other embodiments, a single applicationmay be provided that can access and obtain state of health informationfrom terminals used in the financial, retail, gaming, healthcare, andtravel industries. Since each terminal provides a Web servicesinterface, each terminal can translate generic commands to the specificcommand format used in that industry.

In other embodiments, multi-level, role-based security with differentlevels of access may be provided using the Web services interface. Forexample, replenishers accessing consumable stock levels may have onelevel of access; whereas cash in transit (CIT) personnel accessing cashlevels may have a different level of access; and engineers accessingdevice status values and executing commands such as remote reboot mayhave a third level of access.

In other embodiments a different security criterion may be implementedto that described above. For example, X509 certificates, biometricrecognition or validation, or the like. These could be used toauthenticate a service person (such as an engineer) to the Web serviceinterface 54.

The steps of the methods described herein may be carried out in anysuitable order, or simultaneously where appropriate. The methodsdescribed herein may be performed by software in machine readable formon a tangible storage medium or as a propagating signal.

The terms “comprising”, “including”, “incorporating”, and “having” areused herein to recite an open-ended list of one or more elements orsteps, not a closed list. When such terms are used, those elements orsteps recited in the list are not exclusive of other elements or stepsthat may be added to the list.

What is claimed is:
 1. An automated teller machine (ATM) for enabling anATM service operator remote from the ATM to perform an ATM managementfunction on the ATM while an ATM customer at the ATM is conducting anATM customer transaction unrelated to the ATM management function beingperformed on the ATM by the remote ATM service operator, the ATMcomprising: an ATM customer transaction module operable to (i) implementa function associated with the ATM customer transaction, (ii) providestatus information relating to the ATM customer transaction module, and(iii) interact with a cash dispense module of the ATM; and an ATMcontroller coupled to the ATM customer transaction module and including(i) a management component for retrieving status information from theATM customer transaction module and for querying devices associated withthe ATM through those devices' interfaces to retrieve device status, and(ii) a Web services interface for enabling the remote ATM serviceoperator at a remote device having a Web browser to access the retrievedstatus information and device status while the ATM customer at the ATMis conducting the ATM customer transaction unrelated to the ATMmanagement function being performed on the ATM by the remote ATM serviceoperator.
 2. An ATM according to claim 1, wherein the ATM customertransaction modules comprises one of a card reader module, and a checkdeposit module.
 3. An ATM according to claim 2, further comprising anATM service function module different from the ATM customer transactionmodule and operable to implement an ATM management function, wherein theATM service function module comprises one of a journal printer moduleand a service operator panel module.
 4. An automated teller machine(ATM) comprising: a cash dispense module operable to implement a cashdispense function in response to a cash dispense request from an ATMcustomer, and including (i) a processor executing (a) a managementcomponent operable to obtain status information relating to the cashdispense module, and (b) a first Web services interface for providingaccess to the obtained status information to a remote device, and (ii) anetwork connection for communicating directly with a remote transactioncontroller; and a check deposit module operable to implement a checkdeposit function in response to a check deposit request from an ATMcustomer, and including (i) a processor executing (a) a managementcomponent operable to obtain status information relating to the checkdeposit module, and (b) a second Web services interface for providingaccess to the obtained status information to a remote device, and (ii) anetwork connection for communicating directly with a remote transactioncontroller; wherein (i) the first and second Web services interfaces areseparate and different from each other, (ii) the first Web servicesinterface is dedicated to the cash dispense module operable to implementa cash dispense function, and (iii) the second Web services interface isdedicated to the check deposit module operable to implement a checkdeposit function, and wherein a remote network connection issued by aserver operator accesses at least one of the check deposit module andthe cash dispense module for information simultaneous to a particularATM customer performing a particular ATM operation and to query the cashdispense module and check deposit module using each module's interfaceto check on module statuses while the ATM customer is performing theparticular ATM operation.
 5. An ATM according to claim 4, wherein thenetwork connections comprise dedicated network cards for each module. 6.An ATM according to claim 4, wherein the network connections comprisededicated communication stacks, each communication stack beingassociated with a serial port to provide a transport layer; and a singlenetwork card used by all serial ports.
 7. A distributed automated tellermachine (ATM) system comprising ATM customer transaction modules at afirst location and an ATM transaction controller at a second locationremote from the first location, the ATM customer transaction modulesincluding: a cash dispense module operable to implement a cash dispensefunction in response to a cash dispense request from an ATM customer,and including (i) a processor executing (a) a management componentoperable to obtain status information relating to the cash dispensemodule, and (b) a first Web services interface dedicated to the cashdispense module and for enabling an ATM service operator with a remotedevice having a Web browser to request and directly access the obtainedstatus information from the first Web services interface without havingto go through a remote management system, and (ii) a network connectionfor communicating directly with the remote ATM transaction controller;and a check deposit module operable to implement a check depositfunction in response to a check deposit request from an ATM customer,and including (i) a processor executing (a) a management componentoperable to obtain status information relating to the check depositmodule, and (b) a second Web services interface dedicated to the checkdeposit module and for enabling an ATM service operator with a remotedevice having a Web browser to request and directly access the obtainedstatus information from the second Web services interface without havingto go through a remote management system, and (ii) a network connectionfor communicating directly with the remote ATM transaction controller,and wherein a remote network connection issued by the ATM serveroperator accesses at least one of the check deposit module and the cashdispense module for information simultaneous to a particular ATMcustomer performing a particular ATM operation and to query the cashdispense module and check deposit module using each module's interfaceto check on module statuses while the ATM customer is performing theparticular ATM operation.
 8. A distributed ATM system according to claim7, wherein (i) the remote ATM transaction controller controls aplurality of cash dispense modules, (ii) each cash dispense module ofthe plurality of cash dispense modules is located in a differentgeographical location, and (iii) each cash dispense module of theplurality of cash dispense modules having its own associated Webservices interface which can receive a request from a remote device ofan ATM service operator for status information to at the same time therespective cash dispense module is implementing a cash dispense functionfor an ATM customer who is other than an ATM service operator during anATM customer cash dispense transaction involving the respective cashdispense module.
 9. A distributed ATM system according to claim 7,wherein (i) the remote ATM transaction controller controls a pluralityof check deposit modules, (ii) each check deposit module of theplurality of check deposit modules is located in a differentgeographical location, and (iii) each check deposit module of theplurality of check deposit modules having its own associated Webservices interface which can receive a request from a remote device ofan ATM service operator for status information at the same time therespective check deposit module is implementing a check deposit functionfor an ATM customer who is other than an ATM service operator during anATM customer check deposit transaction involving the respective checkdeposit module.
 10. A method of operating an automated teller machine(ATM) to assist a remote ATM service operator in performing an ATMmanagement function on the ATM while an ATM customer at the ATM isconducting an ATM customer transaction unrelated to the ATM managementfunction being performed on the ATM by the remote ATM service operator,the ATM having (i) an ATM application, (ii) a number of ATM modules, and(iii) an eXtensions for Financial Services (XFS) manager that receivesXFS commands from the ATM application and routes the XFS commands toappropriate ATM modules for operating on the received XFS command, themethod comprising: receiving from the remote device of the ATM serviceoperator a request for ATM management information in a format compatiblewith a Web services interface which operates as a software layer abovethe XFS manager; ascertaining if the received request fulfils a securitycriterion; transforming the received request into a different format inthe event that the request does fulfill the security criterion;communicating the transformed request to a device manager in a formatrecognized by a device of the ATM using that device's interface;receiving a response from the device manager; transforming the responseinto a format compatible with the Web services interface; and relayingthe transformed response to the remote device of the ATM serviceoperator and thereby to assist the ATM service operator in performingthe ATM management function on the ATM while the ATM customer at the ATMis conducting the ATM customer transaction unrelated to the ATMmanagement function being performed on the ATM by the remote ATM serviceoperator, the ATM transaction performing one of: cash dispensing andcheck depositing.